Cochran faces five years imprisonment

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March 16, 2012 at 2:22 pm

Jerry Alan Cochran, 30, Little Falls, was charged in the Morrison County District Court with one felony count of fifth degree possession of drugs and one gross misdemeanor count each of refusing to submit to a chemical test, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance and driving after cancellation.

On March 6, a Morrison County deputy responded to a report that a driver was slumped over the wheel of his vehicle at a business on LeMieur Street in Little Falls. Before the deputy arrived on the scene, he was told the driver had left at a high rate of speed, and was traveling east on Highway 27.

The deputy located the vehicle and while following, saw the vehicle allegedly drive down in the ditch and come back onto the road. When the deputy activated his emergency lights, the driver continued at a high rate of speed for about a half mile, then pulled over.

When the deputy approached the car, he identified the driver as Cochran. According to the criminal complaint, he said Cochran’s speech was incoherent and his pupils were pinpointed.

Cochran was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of a controlled substance when the field sobriety tests indicated impairment.

While at the Morrison County Jail, Cochran allegedly refused to give either a blood or urine test.

While doing an impound inventory of the vehicle, the deputy allegedly located a pack of cigarettes which held a folded piece of paper containing a brown substance. A field test confirmed it was heroin.

An examination of Coch-ran’s driving record showed he was previously convicted of driving under the influence Oct. 18, 2002, and again April 24, 2005. On Oct. 26, 2011, Cochran’s driver’s license was canceled as he was deemed inimical to public safety for refusing to test in Morrison County.

If convicted, Cochran faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine.